Under a tenth of people that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its first guidance on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, via approaches such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
The injections replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase satiety so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, when their normal hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for developing health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
